INTERNSHIPS

Voices-Voix offers three types of unpaid internships: Research, Social Media and Translation.

Research Internship

Who Should Apply

Voices-Voix offers a Research Internship ideal for students specializing in journalism, communications and professional writing, who also have an interest in political science, law, human rights, public administration, public policy, sociology and other related fields. The internship can be credited by some university programmes if the intern/student makes the necessary arrangements. The completion of the internship may be done according to a full-time or part time schedule depending on the student’s program and availability. The internship must be completed with a minimum of 60 hours of contribution in total. This internship is not remunerated.

Purpose

The objective of the internship is to assist the Voices-Voix Coalition in researching federal government policies and decisions which adversely affect the availability of democratic space for dissent and advocacy in Canada. This research is made available to the public online via the Facts section of the Voices-Voix website.

Responsibilities

Research the extent to which Canadian organizations, individuals, and institutions for knowledge and research are able to express themselves freely without fear of reprisal, and the implications and consequences for Canadian democracy when free speech is not respected.
Document cases in which various citizens and organizations have been taking legal action to defend their democratic rights to advocacy, dissent, and free speech in general.
Fact-check and supplement research done by other interns and volunteers on the Research Team.
Copy-edit research done by other Research Team members.
Make collective decisions as to what specific research can most effectively help other citizens understand the state of democratic freedoms in Canada, and help citizens make the connections between respect for their democratic rights to free speech, dissent and advocacy, and their day-to-day well-being.
Execute all other related tasks assigned.

Qualifications

Demonstrable experience in journalistic or other public relations writing.
Capacity to express complex ideas in clear language destined for the general public.
Autonomy and capacity to respect deadlines with minimal supervision.
Excellent organizational skills.
Keen interest in defending the right to free speech in Canada, as defined by the right for individuals or civil society organizations to express dissent or advocate freely without fear of reprisal from government.
General interest in Canadian politics.
Understanding of the values of the Voices-Voix Coalition, and of why dissent and advocacy are essential to preserving a healthy democracy.

How to Apply

Send an email to communications(at)voices-voix.ca. Write “Application for Voices-Voix Research Internship” in the subject line. Attach the following documents in PDF or Word format:

A CV that is maximum 1 page in length, and that includes an e-mail address and a telephone number.
A 1-page letter of intent (350-500 words).
Three examples of your articles, press releases, or other writings that were done for a lay audience and demonstrate your capacity to write Facts pages similar to those already displayed on the Voices-Voix website.

Your letter of intent must answer the following questions:

How can your work and/or volunteer and/or educational experience help you fulfill the internship’s responsibilities and functions?
How will this internship help your future career objectives?
Why are you personally interested in doing research that contributes to the defence of advocacy and dissent in Canada?
Will you be seeking academic credit for this internship, and if so, from which university programme?
What is your availability? (How many hours per week can you contribute? What date can you begin your internship? On what date will you have to end your internship?)

When to Apply

If you are not seeking academic credit for this internship, you may apply at any time.

If you are seeking academic credit, we strongly advise that you apply two months before the semester during which you would like to do the credited course, so as to ensure that you can obtain permission to receive credit for your program of study, and begin submitting work within the framework established by standard university programmes. Note that most universities require that you submit academic work on top of the work that you will do directly for the Coalition, and decisions about what this entails are often decided on a case-by-case basis by your supervising professor or Department. Here are the application dates that we recommend:

For internships during the winter semester: Apply between November 1st and 15th.
For internships during the summer semester: Apply between March 1st and 15th.
For internships during the fall semester: Apply between August 1st and 15th.

What happens after I apply?

We will acknowledge receipt of your application by email, if you include all five documents required as stated above (CV, letter of intent, three writing samples), these documents are in the right format (PDF or Word), and they are the right length (maximumm one page for the CV and letter). Applications that fail to meet these requirements may receive no response.

If your application is successful, we will contact you again to set up a phone or Skype interview. (Unsuccessful candidates will also be informed.) The interview is also a chance for you to decide if you would enjoy doing an internship with us.

How the internship works

Location: Interns based in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver spend at least six hours per week at our offices, in three hour blocks between 10am and 1pm, and/or 2pm and 5pm. Interns based elsewhere may work from home, and will correspond regularly with Voices-Voix's staff by email, phone and Skype.

Focus: Interns work within a larger research team, producing case studies for the general public. Interns are asked to contribute to discussions about the most important research to do, and may express their preferences to focus on certain aspects of our research and writing as opposed to others.

Supervision: Interns are supervised by volunteer staff members of Voices-Voix organizations who differ depending on which office the students works at, or if they work from home. Voices-Voix can provide university programmes with written and oral reports on students' work. The schedule and format for such reports is agreed on by Voices-Voix and the supervising professor or programme representative before the internship begins. Voices-Voix will contact your supervising professor or programme representative to establish a timeline for supervision and feedback.

University Credit: Most universities require that students submit at least one written essay as well as samples of work done during the internship, though details vary according to the programme and supervising professor. Most undergraduate students obtain three or six credits for their internships, while Masters-level students receive up to 18. Credits will depend on the extent of the intern's contribution and involvement. Should you wish to receive university credit for your internship, you are responsible, before the internship begins, to:

obtain any relevant forms and documents from your university;
send them to Voices-Voix staff so that they can be completed, approved, and signed;
provide Voices-Voix with the names and contact information for individuals at your university who wish to be notified about the progress of your internship;
inform us of any and all other details about your university’s requirements for your internship, including but not limited to steps that we must take in order to ensure that your internship is credited and graded in a satisfactory and appropriate manner.

Social Media Internship

Objective

The objective of the Voices-Voix Social Media Internship is to promote Voices-Voix and its research over the Web, and to reach out to like-minded people and organizations that may be interested in the defence of dissent and advocacy in Canada.

Who should apply

Voices-Voix offers a Social Media Internship ideal for students specializing in Canadian studies, journalism, communications, political science, law, professional writing, human rights, public administration, public policy, sociology and other related fields.

The internship can be credited by some university programmes if the intern/student makes the necessary arrangements. The completion of the internship may be done according to a full-time or part time schedule depending on the student’s program and availability. The internship must be completed with a minimum of 60 hours of contribution in total. This internship is not remunerated.

Responsibilities:

Plan and execute tweets via the Voices-Voix Twitter account.
Respond to questions from the public via social media.
Help develop the Voices-Voix Facebook fanpage, and use it to reach out to young Canadians.
Collaborate with other team members to propose new and timely ways to promote Voices-Voix via the Internet.
Maintain clear records of social media initiatives, and their effectiveness.
Execute all other related tasks assigned.

Qualifications:

Strong knowledge of social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as web marketing tools used on various devices to access these services (iOS, PC/Mac, android, etc.).
Capacity to express ideas in clear language destined for the general public.
Autonomy and capacity to respect deadlines with minimal supervision.
Excellent organizational skills.
Keen interest in defending the right to free speech in Canada, as defined by the right for individuals or civil society organizations to express dissent or advocate freely without fear of reprisal from government.
General interest in Canadian politics.
Understanding of the values of the Voices-Voix Coalition, and of why dissent and advocacy are essential to preserving a healthy democracy.

How to apply

Send an email to communications(at)voices-voix.ca. Write “Application for Voices-Voix Social Media Internship” in the subject line. Attach the following documents in PDF or Word format:

A CV that is maximum 1 page in length, and that includes an e-mail address and a telephone number.
A 1-page letter of intent (350-500 words).

Your letter of intent must answer the following questions:

How can your work and/or volunteer and/or educational experience help you fulfill the internship’s responsibilities and functions? (Provide links to and/or examples of your current and previous work with social media.)
How will this internship help your future career objectives?
Why are you personally interested in doing research that contributes to the defence of advocacy and dissent in Canada?
Will you be seeking academic credit for this internship, and if so, from which university programme?
What is your availability? (How many hours per week can you contribute? What date can you begin your internship? On what date will you have to end your internship?)

When to Apply

If you are not seeking academic credit for this internship, you may apply at any time.

For internships during the winter semester: Apply between November 1st and 15th.
For internships during the summer semester: Apply between March 1st and 15th.
For internships during the fall semester: Apply between August 1st and 15th.

What happens after I apply?

We will acknowledge receipt of your application by email, if you include the documents required as stated above in the correct format.

How the internship works

obtain any relevant forms and documents from your university;
send them to Voices-Voix staff so that they can be completed, approved, and signed;
provide Voices-Voix with the names and contact information for individuals at your university who wish to be notified about the progress of your internship;
inform us of any and all other details about your university’s requirements for your internship, including but not limited to steps that we must take in order to ensure that your internship is credited and graded in a satisfactory and appropriate manner.